Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year

2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Michelle Gross champions project-based learning in math

Spencer County Middle School teacher Michelle Gross is a champion for vibrant learning experiences in the projects she leads to help students understand how math applies to their lives. Gross, who has 22 years of teaching experience in math, was named the 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year during a ceremony in Frankfort on Oct. 7. She also was named the middle school division winner. Gross and eight other Teacher Achievement Award recipients were honored by the Kentucky Department of Education at the ceremony.

By Fiona Morgan|2025-10-07T20:10:51-04:00October 7, 2025|

2024 Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year Kevin Dailey wants his students to feel supported, included

Kevin Dailey was never supposed to be a teacher. As a child, he had hopes of being an architect, taking an idea and forging it into something that would last forever. “As a child of divorce and of economic insecurity, not much was expected of me at school,” said Dailey, a at Ballyshannon Middle School (Boone County). “I would finish school, then I would paint houses like my dad and his dad before him.”

By Crystal Sicard|2024-02-20T16:00:28-05:00September 13, 2023|

Crittenden County’s Mandy Perez named 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year

Mandy Perez, a 6th-grade English and language arts teacher at Crittenden County Middle School, reacts in surprise as she is named the 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year at an in-person ceremony on Sept. 20 at the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda. She also was named the Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year.Photo by Jacob Perkins, Sept. 20, 2022 [...]

By Audrie Lamb|2022-09-20T13:57:18-04:00September 20, 2022|

2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Mandy Perez inspires students to fall in love with reading

When Mandy Perez was little, she remembers asking her elementary school teachers at the end of every school year for their extra worksheets. “I would take those worksheets home and play school with my little sister during the summertime,” she said. “I never stop learning, and I love working with children. It’s my passion in life.”

By Audrie Lamb|2022-09-20T10:59:59-04:00September 20, 2022|

Kentucky 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year Hallie Booth helps students learn outside the classroom

Kentucky’s 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year Hallie Booth wanted to be a teacher since she was little. She was inspired to pursue the calling by her father, a health and physical education teacher, and her mother, a computer technology teacher.

By Jacqueline Thompson|2021-09-09T14:27:25-04:00September 9, 2021|

Celebrate yourself during Teacher Appreciation Week

Remember sitting in your undergraduate education classes, being bombarded with hypothetical situations to play out in your mind? That was scary. There were lots of things that made us think, “Is that really going to happen?” We had no idea what we were in for.

By Laura Peavley|2021-05-03T08:21:39-04:00May 4, 2021|

Kentucky 2021 Middle School Teacher of the Year Laura Peavley moved to West Louisville to better understand, support her students

In Jefferson County, Laura Peavley has played a prominent role in shaping the school’s Montessori program, hoping to impact future generations. A believer in reaching students where they are, she relocated to be closer to them and better understand their daily struggles.

By Jacob Perkins|2020-10-23T07:31:13-04:00October 22, 2020|